SBIR-STTR Award

Passive expendable threat countermeasures have been the primary mechanism for defeating radar-guided threats to rotary wing aircraft. These dispenser systems interface directly with the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) to select the best response to a detected threat. The modern generation of RF threats has become smarter and added agile emissions in order to see through passive countermeasures. DRFMs are active countermeasure systems that use memory to delay or store threat pulses and then digitally re-modulate the signals to produce realistic coherent false targets. SPEC is proposing a fast moving program to develop and field the worlds most advanced expendable active RF countermeasures for the protection of Rotary Wing Aircraft and ultimately for the protection of all airframes. A DRFM typically consists of RF up/down-converter sections, ADC and DAC sections, and a high speed digital signal processor with memory. Recent advances in materials and technology offer unprecedented levels of heterogeneous on-chip integration of RF, mixed-signal, and digital signal processing circuits. SPEC proposes to develop an expendable active countermeasure system design for modern threats, using integrated, substrate level, heterogeneous technologies and packaging necessary to satisfy SWaP requirements, and extremely demanding aerodynamic performance specifications that account for rotor wash of the aircraft.

Systems & Processes Engineering Corporation (SPEC) is proposing a fast moving Phase II Expendable Active RF Technologies for Helicopters (EARTH) program to deliver a fully functional 1x2x8 active expendable RF countermeasures prototype flight unit, which is form/fit compatible with the AN/ALE-47 dispenser. The proposed countermeasures flight unit (microUAV) expendables are configured with multifunctional EW capabilities and perform as active decoys, false targets, or jammers to defeat modern threats. SPECs proposed active expendable flight units implement integrated, substrate level, heterogeneous technologies, advanced antenna topologies, and ultra-dense packaging to achieve an extraordinary combination of low SWaP, system effectiveness and aerodynamic specifications, including performance in high acceleration ejection and flight through rotor wash environments. This Phase II EARTH design advances SPECs field proven (TRL 9) ADEP embedded adaptive countermeasures technology to yield an ensemble of field programmable coherent and non-coherent dense spectrum EW techniques for sophisticated deception and jamming. The proposed EARTH architecture and IP blocks will be configured for multi-mission adaptability and ease of integration with RWRs and onboard EW management suites. The impact of this program is far reaching and includes the development of inexpensive, mass producible microEW technologies for universal airframe protection and for multi-mission EW payloads for small UAVs.